Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to Return Five Percent of Salary During Sequestration

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard announced her decision to return five percent of her Congressional salary to taxpayers and U.S. Treasury while the across-the-board budget cuts required by sequestration remain in place. Five percent of her salary is approximately the amount of pay that many Federal workers will lose due to mandatory furloughs. By law, Congressional salaries were not impacted by the sequester cuts and cannot be changed until the 114th Congress.

“Congress failed to come to a balanced agreement to prevent the arbitrary, across-the-board cuts that both parties agreed would be detrimental to our middle-class families and our country.

“During the recent district work period, I visited Pearl Harbor Shipyard and met with workers who shared with me the hardship their families are facing due to these mandatory furloughs. The furloughs are also forcing delays that impact their ability to maintain our Navy’s readiness. Our civilian shipyard employees are among the many Hawai‘i families who are affected by these cuts.

“I cannot in good conscience stand by while our seniors, children, middle-class families, and military bear the brunt of these arbitrary cuts; we must share in the sacrifice. I will continue to return five percent of my pay until the sequestration cuts are repealed and we find common ground for a smart, balanced solution to reduce our deficit.”